A440

• Formed: 1966, Houston, TX
• Disbanded: 1985, Houston, TX
• Genres: Rock

Biography

Houston psych-punks A440 formed in 1966 but did not release their first album until 12 years later. Roster information on the band's earliest incarnation is slim -- the flip side of their 1967 Soma label debut single "It's Just Your Mind," the superior "Torture" (later featured on the Acid Visions compilation series) is credited to Rock Romano, an alumni of fellow Houston bands the Fun and Games and Sixpence, but his exact involvement in A440 remains unclear. The group issued two more singles -- "When I Get Out" and "Instructions! Please Do Not Open Before Christmas" -- on the Cinema label before their recording career ground to a halt. But A440 remained a constant of the Houston live scene for a decade until they signed to 20th Century Fox to release their debut LP Ulysses, the Greek Suite. Written and arranged by keyboardist Michael Rapp -- singers Ted Neeley and Yvonne Iverson, guitarist Carlos Luevano, bassist Craig Meacham, and drummer Ian Hoffman rounded out this iteration -- the double-album set was a strange, rather anachronistic concept record inspired by ancient Greek myth that, released at the peak of the disco era, made absolutely no commercial impact. After resurfacing on Fantasy in 1983 with Cybotron, A440 again vanished from sight, presumably for good. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)